


Home for Christmas

by Kkane88



Category: Men's Hockey RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe, Christmas, Christmas Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Getting Back Together, Light Angst, M/M, Patrick's family is supportive, Sharing Clothes, They don't play hockey
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-28
Updated: 2019-11-30
Packaged: 2021-02-26 05:28:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 10,846
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21588388
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kkane88/pseuds/Kkane88
Summary: The Getting Back Together Christmas AU that no one asked for
Relationships: Patrick Kane/Jonathan Toews
Comments: 17
Kudos: 110





	1. December 23rd

**Author's Note:**

> It's Christmas!  
> I don't know why but I'm on a getting-back-together kick right now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [You can find this on tumblr](https://kwriteshockey.tumblr.com/post/614924072162344960/home-for-christmas-part-1)

Patrick sighed happily as got out of his car and started the short walk to his front door in the already-dark-at-5pm evening. He took a moment to admire the Christmas lights twinkling along the street and feel the anticipation of knowing his family was inside waiting for him- they had gotten into town while he was at work and he hadn’t had a chance to see them yet. Christmas had always been his favorite time of year; he was all in, from the decorations to the carols, and even the ugly sweaters. There was nothing better than a cold, snowy day when you could stay under the blankets, drink hot cocoa, and have a movie day. Even better if you can be with someone you love. His family came together every year without fail, and this year they had even packed up and caught a flight to Chicago so he could still celebrate with them. He had just gotten a promotion at work and couldn't take the time off to go all the way back to Buffalo. He had been crushed when he thought he was going to have to spend Christmas alone for the first time in his life, but his family came through for him.

He walked up the front steps and paused outside his door, already hearing the commotion inside. He grinned and threw the door open, calling out “I’m home!” The commotion got louder as his three sisters came running at him, all talking over each other. Patrick instinctively backed up in fear before they half tackled him against the wall, laughing.

“What took you so long?” Jackie demanded. Patrick rolled his eyes but couldn’t hold back the grin on his face. He looked around at all of the decorating they had done that day, especially the Christmas tree they had set up in the living room. He had decided not to put a tree up this year since he was going to be alone, but when they told him they were flying out he promised to let them decorate one. They had gone all out, getting a tree so large it brushed the ceiling. It was covered in silver and red ornaments and Patrick groaned at the thought of having to clean up all of the glitter that was sure to be everywhere.

“I was at work. Working. Because I’m an adult.” he explained while half-heartedly trying to squirm out of the group hug.

“But you still have the next two days off, right?” Jessica asked, finally releasing him.

“Of course. You guys flew all the way here for me, I wasn’t going to let them make me work.” He assured them. “Are mom and dad here?” he asked, noting the way all three girls suddenly tensed up and avoided his eyes. “What’s going on?” They all shrugged and just kinda motioned towards the kitchen where he heard voices too quiet for him to make out. He headed that way, a knot of worry forming in his stomach. Patrick didn’t know what could be making his sisters so nervous. Did they have some kind of bad news? Was someone sick? In his panic, he practically ran into the kitchen where everything suddenly became clear. Standing there, in his home, in his kitchen, talking to his parents, was the last person Patrick ever expected to see. He was shaken, speechless, and… _betrayed._ Probably even a little mortified. He looked over at his mom who promptly avoided his eyes. His dad smiled at him, looking extremely amused. He could hear his sisters file in behind him, standing tense and silent.

“Hi Patrick.” Jonny said sheepishly, looking at Patrick from under his lashes. Patrick stood there, mouth hanging open, heart thundering in his chest, unable to process what he was seeing. Jonny couldn’t be standing in his kitchen right now. He and Jonny had broken up months ago. Jonny didn’t even know where he _lived_. Everyone was frozen, looking between the two of them, and he wondered if he was going through some kind of psychotic episode. Maybe the stress from work was causing him to see things.

“Jonny… what?” Was all he managed to croak out. Jonny took a step towards him and Patrick tensed even more than he already was. Jonny froze.

“Um, your parents… invited me over.” Jonny explained hesitatingly. He finally tore his eyes away from Jonny and shot a look at his mom. She walked away from the stove and over to Patrick, taking his face in her hands.

“Well first of all, hello Patrick, it’s good to see you.” She kissed him on the cheek while he stared dumbly down at her. He still couldn’t process what was happening right now and why his mother had invited his ex-boyfriend over to his home to spend _Christmas_ together. “We ran into Jonathan at the grocery store today and found out he was going to be spending Christmas alone this year, so we invited him over.” Patrick glanced at Jonny, seeing how nervous he was, but he never took his eyes off of Patrick. Patrick stared back, not sure what his own face was doing. Jonny was the one that broke up with _him_. What right did he have to be nervous in Patrick’s kitchen? Patrick tried to think of something to say, he really did, but he took the coward’s way out and fled down the hallway. 

***

"What the hell, Erica?" Patrick hissed, as she followed him into his bedroom.

"We really did just happen to run into him, Pat." She promised earnestly. "We went to get some groceries and saw him in the store. He's not going home for Christmas and we couldn't just leave him all alone during the holidays!" Patrick glared at her, knowing she was trying to guilt trip him into feeling bad for Jonny. Even worse, it was working. The thought of Jonny having to be alone on Christmas made Pat's chest hurt, especially remembering what Jonny had done for him last year.

They had spent Canadian Thanksgiving with Jonny’s family and American Thanksgiving with friends in Chicago, but had flown to Buffalo for Christmas. Jonny’s family never did a very big Christmas celebration and he knew how much Patrick looked forward to spending Christmas with his family. While in Buffalo they decided to take Christmas Eve and celebrate with just the two of them. It was their second Christmas as a couple, but the previous year they had celebrated separately with their families, and Jonny said he wanted their first Christmas to be special. They rented an AirBNB and spent the day snuggled up, drinking hot chocolate and watching dumb hallmark movies that Jonny pretended to hate. Patrick had graciously not called him out when every once in awhile he sniffled and wiped his eyes. Patrick had never been so content in his life. Thinking about it, about what he had lost, made his heart ache.

"So you guys just, what, invited my ex-boyfriend to my house for the holidays? Without warning me?" He asks, shaking himself out of his memories. Family loyalty was still a thing, last he checked. He knows his family loved Jonny and they were upset when they broke up, but did none of them stop to consider Patrick's feelings, here?

"You were happy with him." She explains sadly. "We’ve never seen you so happy and you've been so sad since you broke up. And he obviously missed you, too, or he wouldn't have agreed so easily."

"He's Canadian!" Patrick bursts out. "Canadians are polite! Of course he's not going to say no to mom. Whatever feelings he used to have for me don’t mean anything now." Erica rolls her eyes so hard he’s surprised they didn’t fall out of her head. Without responding, she walks over to his closet and starts shifting around his clothes.

“What are you doing?” He asks, confused. She pulls out a dark blue button up shirt and holds it out to him. 

"Wear this. It brings out your eyes." She demands. "Not that you need it since he’s already in love with you. And while you're changing, think about the fact that he didn't go home for Christmas despite how close he is with his family. Maybe he was hoping to spend it with you."

"That might be a plausible excuse, except for the fact that we haven't spoken in the last three months. If he wanted to spend Christmas with me, he was doing a pretty terrible job." Patrick argues, hurt at his family’s total disregard for his feelings here. They weren’t a part of his relationship and they didn’t know anything about how it ended. Why couldn’t they just trust him? "And he wouldn't have known I wasn't going back to Buffalo, anyway." At this, Erica gets shifty-eyed and Patrick feels a vague sense of dread. "Right, Erica?"

"I'd better go out there and let you change! And please fix your hair!" She rushes out, not letting Patrick get a word in before she's out the door. He sighs heavily and looks at the shirt she had picked out. He might as well wear it. And if he digs out his favorite pair of jeans, the ones he knows look the best on him, then no one else needs to know. He might as well remind Jonny what he’s missing. He glances in the mirror before he goes, but he accepted a long time ago his curls can't be tamed. He and Jonny were together for two years, it’s not like he’s unfamiliar with Patrick’s hair struggles. In fact, messing his curls up was one of his favorite activities, running his hands through Patrick’s hair any chance he got. Patrick’s not in denial; he knows he’s not over Jonny. He knows he wants Jonny to look at him and think he looks good. To miss him. To want him back. But he also knows it’s not going to happen. Still, a guy can dream.

Walking into the kitchen feels a little bit like walking into a lion’s den. He stands by the doorway, surveying the scene ahead of him. His sisters are taking up the three chairs at the kitchen island with their backs to him. His dad is in the dining room pretending to read a newspaper and smiling at whatever his mom is saying. She’s at the stove, stirring something in a pot and telling some story about Jackie and a dog that has Jackie groaning and hiding her face in her hands. Jonny’s… there. Standing at one end of the island and smiling at Patrick’s mom. Patrick’s surprised by the _longing_ that he feels, seeing Jonny there with his family, like he just fits. He’s wearing that soft grey henley with the sleeves pushed up to his elbows, hands on the countertop far enough apart that Patrick could fit himself in there. He knows because he’s been there before. He knows what it feels like to have Jonny’s warmth pressed against his back, to have soft kisses pressed against his temple. His heart skips a beat as he imagines going over there and just muscling his way into Jonny’s space, the way he used to. The way Jonny would smile at him and run a hand down his arm. Patrick takes a deep, fortifying breath and forces himself to move to the other side of the island, as far away from Jonny as possible, before he does something stupid.

He’s thankful that no one really acknowledges his presence. He takes a second while everyone’s attention is on the story Erica’s telling about work to study Jonny’s face. It had only been three months, but it felt like a lifetime. It’s the same Jonny, of course, but it’s also like seeing him for the first time. Same haircut, same eyebrows, the laugh lines around his eyes maybe a little more pronounced. Same brown eyes looking back at Patrick. In this moment Patrick can’t read them, can’t understand what Jonny’s feeling, and that hurts him. He’s always been able to read Jonny; at least, he thought so. No matter what Jonny was feeling, Patrick always thought that he could see the love right underneath the surface. Right up until he kicked Patrick out. Patrick looks at Jonny and sees _love_ and _strength_ and _home._ He doesn’t know what Jonny sees when he looks at Patrick.

Jonny’s brow furrows when Patrick starts blinking back tears, and Patrick sees his hand twitch like he wants to reach out. Shaking his head he turns away and is startled to see that his family has already moved all of the food into the dining room and are sitting there waiting for them. How long were they just standing there staring at each other? He moves into the dining room and hears Jonny following. He takes one of the two remaining seats between Erica and Jessica while Jonny takes the one directly across from him, everyone acting like this is completely normal. Contrary to how crazy Kane family dinners usually are, the food is dished out quietly and Patrick refuses to look anyone in the eye. He’s overwhelmed, having to deal with all of his feelings with an audience and his family should have known better than to do this to him.

“Patrick, how’s the promotion?” his dad asks, breaking the awkward silence. “Still liking the new job?”

“Yeah, I love it!” Patrick perks up, startled into remembering there’s a world outside of this house. “It’s a lot more work, and it’s crazy that they let me be in charge of the whole marketing department, but so far I’m enjoying it.”

“You deserve it.” Jonny says quietly. “With all of the work you put in, they’d have been crazy to choose anyone else.”.

“Thanks Jonny.” Patrick breathes out hesitantly. He’s suddenly filled with all kinds of doubts. Did Jonny break up with him because he was working too much? Did this promotion cost him his relationship? Patrick stomps on that thought quickly. He worked hard, but he never put his job before Jonny, and he _knows_ Jonny knows that.

“Jonathan, how’s your family?” Patrick’s mom asks.

“They’re doing great.” Jonny smiles awkwardly. “Nothing really new there.”

“So why didn’t you go home for Christmas?”

“Jessica!” Patrick shouts. As much as he wants to know the answer, you can’t just _ask_ someone that. “You don’t have to answer that, Jonny.” Pink floods Jonny’s face and he shrugs.

“I went to visit them over Thanksgiving.” He glances up at Patrick again, and Patrick remembers that their breakup was only a couple weeks before he was supposed to go with Jonny on the Canadian Thanksgiving trip. “My family doesn’t do much to celebrate Christmas and I guess I was hoping I would have other plans so I didn’t take the time off work to fly up there.” Patrick narrows his eyes and shoots a look at Erica. That sounded oddly similar to his sister’s comment from earlier. She smiles at him innocently, but thankfully steers the conversation to safer topics.

***

After the table is cleared, everyone makes their way into Patrick’s living room for movie night. He watches them start to get cozy on the couches for a second before excusing himself for the bathroom. When he comes out, Jessica’s there waiting to pull him into his bedroom. This is starting to become a theme with his sisters.

“You’re gonna tell him to stay for Christmas, right?” She asks, arms crossed.

“What do you mean?” He asks tiredly.

“He’s going to go home tonight and he won’t come back if you don’t ask him to. You know how Jonny is.” Jessica puts her hands on her hips and looks him dead in the eye with a fierce look. “Come on, you don’t want him to be alone on Christmas, do you?”

“Stop trying to guilt me.” Patrick groans, still annoyed that his family is taking Jonny’s side. “He’s my _ex-boyfriend_. I have no obligations here.”

“You’re still in love with him.”

“It’s been three months, of course I’m still in love with him!” He almost shouts. That’s two years of feelings to get rid of. They’re not just going to go away over night.”

“But you don’t _want_ them to go away.” Jessica argues. “You’re more self-aware than that, Pat. And for that matter, he still loves you. When you two look at each other, you forget anyone else is in the room. It’s always been that way, and it’s still that way. Like whatever that was in the kitchen tonight? That was intense. You just stared at each other for like 5 minutes.”

“We broke up for a reason, Jess.”

“And what reason is that?” She demands. Patrick pauses, because he honestly doesn’t know. He doesn’t remember what started the fight that caused their breakup, but he remembers how it ended. With Jonny saying _‘You know what? Just go, Patrick. And don’t bother coming back.’_ He remembers the absolute _devastation_ of realizing that Jonny didn’t want him anymore, of wondering how long it had been since he had. He remembers the phone calls he ignored, knowing Jonny would apologize just to save Patrick’s hurt feelings. Because he knows Jonny cared about him, but apparently just didn’t love him anymore. He remembers having Sharpy be the reluctant go-between, who let Patrick stay on his couch for a couple weeks until he found his own little house to rent. He remembers waiting for Jonny to be at work before sneaking into the apartment and packing up his clothes, leaving his key in the mailbox and a note on the counter to let Jonny know where it was. Another week of dodged phone calls, until they finally just stopped.

“He didn’t want me.” Patrick doesn’t realize he’s crying until Jessica pulls him into a hug. Patrick’s a little ashamed of himself for crying on his sister’s shoulder, but he’s so overwhelmed that he just lets it happen.

“You never talked about what happened.” She says softly. He knows what she wants. But he’s not ready to tell her yet.

“I was trying not to think about it.” He admits into her shoulder. “I haven’t really… since it happened.” He knows he’s not making sense but she seems to let it go. They’re quiet for a minute until Jessica pulls away, leaving her hands on his shoulders.

“Pat, I may not know what happened… but I do know that man loves you. I don’t know why you think he doesn’t want you, but I think you’re wrong.” She hesitates before continuing. “We’ve been keeping in contact with him.” Patrick feels his stomach drop as he moves to sit heavily on the bed. “He was just trying to make sure you were ok because you wouldn’t talk to him. We told him you weren’t coming to Buffalo for Christmas and I really think that’s why he decided to stay in Chicago. But I promise, it really was just a coincidence that we ran into him. It kinda seemed like fate, so that’s why we invited him over.” Patrick buries his face in his hands and takes deep breaths. It was too much to handle at once. “Please don’t be mad at us.”

“I’m not mad at you.” He replies, shaking his head. “This is just… exhausting. I’ve had, like, an emotional wall up about this and seeing him here just punched through it. I’m so confused because I look at him and remember the happiest moments of my life, but I also remember one of the worst. And now you’re telling me he’s been checking up on me when I thought he had just moved on and forgotten about me. It’s a lot to process.” Jessica sits next to him on the bed and bumps him with her shoulder.

“Will you ask him to stay?” She asks quietly.

“I don’t know, Jess.” Patrick sighs. “What’s the point?”

“Look, even if you don’t get back together, this will be good for both of you.” She reasons. “I know you’re hurt but this can be your closure. You can face your feelings and work through them and not have to wonder about what-ifs anymore. Or, maybe you get back together and go back to being the grossest, sappiest, most in love couple I’ve ever met.” Patrick snorts and she grins at him.

“You’re right. I have to face it sometime.” He agrees. “I probably should’ve done this weeks ago.” He doesn’t have high hopes for the getting-back-together thing, but it would be nice to be able to talk to Jonny about this. Spend some time with him as a friend, maybe talk about why the relationship ended so he can finally put a name to it, deal with it, and move on. It’s the not knowing that’s been killing him. Jessica pulls him up off the bed and gives him another hug before tugging him back out to the living room. When they walk in, Jonny’s standing by the door pulling on his coat. “You’re leaving?” Patrick blurts before he can really think about it, more hurt than he has any right to be considering he didn’t want Jonny here to begin with.

“Yeah, I think I should be getting home.” Jonny smiles at him when Patrick walks closer. “Let you have some time with your family.” The polite part of Patrick wants to tell Jonny to stay but the other part is relieved to spend some stress-free time with his family. He needs some time to decompress after the emotional roller coaster he’s been on for the past few hours.

“I’ll walk you to your car.” Patrick offers. Jonny looks surprised and seems like he’s going to argue, but then he takes a second to really _look_ at Patrick. All he does is remind Pat to grab a jacket. They don’t say anything during the short walk to Jonny’s car. Patrick doesn’t really know how to start. It isn’t until Jonny’s reaching for the door handle that Patrick reaches out a hand to stop him. “Wait.” Jonny turns to face him, looking seriously into Patrick’s eyes. “Come back tomorrow. Please.”

“Is that what _you_ want?” he asks. Patrick smiles shakily. Jonny knows how pushy his sisters can be, but Patrick knows he needs to do this.

“Yeah, Jonny, I-” he takes a deep breath. Then another. Lets it out slowly. “I’m not gonna pretend I know why you agreed to come today, or that I was happy to see you at first. But I need this. I need to talk about...what happened.” Patrick looks down at his feet. “I don’t want you to be alone on Christmas, and you know my family loved you from the moment they met you. And even if it’s just as friends, I want you here. If you wanna be here.”

“Pat.” Jonny breathes and reaches out slowly, giving Patrick time to pull away. He doesn’t. Jonny’s hands wrap around Patrick’s hips and he pulls him close. Instinctively, Patrick’s arms hook around Jonny’s shoulders and he hides his face against Jonny’s neck, sinking into him. “Of course I want to be here, Pat.” Jonny assures him. “I just don’t want to rush you. You were kinda forced into this and you haven’t really had a second to breathe since you got home. I know this wasn’t the best way to do this, but I didn’t know how you would react if I just showed up on your doorstep one day. I thought your family would work as a buffer.”

“You really should have known better.” Patrick laughs, feeling Jonny’s laugh in return. Patrick takes a second to gather his thoughts, relaxing even further when Jonny starts rubbing a hand up and down his back. “I thought maybe you had moved on and forgotten about me. Looking back it’s really stupid because I was the one that pushed you away when I didn’t answer your calls.”

“Let’s talk about this later, eh? This isn’t a conversation I want to have in the middle of the street.” Patrick can hear the smile in Jonny’s voice and he agrees. They stand there holding each other a little while longer until Patrick starts to feel the cold seeping in through his coat. He pulls away slowly, smiling up at Jonny genuinely for the first time all night.

“I’ll see you tomorrow, yeah? Come over whenever.” Patrick demands. “You know my mom always makes pancakes for Christmas Eve breakfast.” Jonny smiles down at him, nodding before opening his door.

“See you, Pat.” He says before getting into the car. Patrick makes his way back up to his front door, turning around to see Jonny looking at him through the window. Jonny gives a small wave before pulling away. When Patrick walks back into the living room after hanging his coat up, his whole family is grinning at him. He rolls his eyes at them before diving onto the couch between his sisters and settling in for whatever Netflix movies they’ve lined up for the night.

“So he’ll be back?” Jackie asks. Patrick smiles down at the blanket on his lap, letting the happiness flow through him like sunshine.

“Yeah. He’ll be back.”


	2. December 24th

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things get sad.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really meant for this to be more fluff than angst but I was really feeling the sad this chapter. Don't worry, it'll get fluffier.

Patrick woke up the next morning with a smile on his face and the smell of bacon permeating the house. He felt happier than he had in a long time, and while he knew a large part of that was because it was Christmas Eve, an even larger part was knowing that he was going to get to spend the day with his family  _ and  _ Jonny. The past few months Patrick hadn’t really spent time with anyone other than Sharpy and Abby. It wasn’t that his other friends hadn’t tried to keep in touch, but they had always felt like his-and-Jonny’s friends and being around them without Jonny left him feeling a little adrift. It was nice to get some human interaction that didn’t involve babysitting (not that he minded babysitting. He loved those girls as much as a favorite uncle could.)

Patrick rolled out of bed and contemplated for a minute, but decided to get dressed. His sisters loved braving the holiday crowds to do some last minute Christmas shopping, and the novelty of doing it in Chicago was bound to call to them. Plus, he knew Jonny wouldn’t come over in his pajamas and Patrick didn’t want him to feel awkward about being the only one in normal clothes. He worried that maybe he was getting a little overeager about Jonny, letting himself be too happy before they even talked about what happened, but he didn’t know if he could stop it. Jonny’s always made him feel like sunshine when everything else felt like thunderstorms. He made his way down the hallway and into the kitchen where his mom already had plates of food waiting. The girls were already there, half asleep but with enough energy to take down some pancakes.

“Good morning, ladies.” He greeted, sitting down with his own plate and digging in. All four heads swung over to look at him in sync and he froze.

“You’re awfully chipper this morning.” Erica crows triumphantly.

“Shut up, it’s Christmas Eve.” He replies, unbothered. He’s happy, so sue him.

“Are you sure it has nothing to do with a certain tall, dark, and handsome man that’s in your near future?” Jessica chimes in. All he does is grin back and take another bite. He knows they’re feeling pretty good about themselves so he’s not going to inflate their egos any more than they already are. He checks his phone for the time, wondering what time Jonny will get there. He considers texting him, but he doesn’t want to seem too clingy. Maybe Jonny wants to sleep in, and who knows what traffic is like today? Patrick can be patient. He’s waited for three months, he can wait a few hours longer. Patrick’s dad eventually makes his way in and they finish their breakfast in comfortable silence. Predictably, as soon as they’re done eating, the girls pull him towards the door and beg him to drive them around town so they can shop. He agrees, pretending to be put out by it, but he’s honestly as excited as they are. Although, he does take a moment to be grateful he wasn’t with them on Black Friday. While he’s putting his shoes on, he does shoot a quick text to Jonny.

_ Hey, you missed breakfast. Taking the girls shopping, can meet us if you want or head over to mine. _

This is the first message he’s sent Jonny since the break up and for some reason it makes him giddy, like he felt when they first started talking. They had met in this little local cafe that Patrick absolutely adored. It had a wall of bookshelves and comfortable chairs everywhere, along with the normal cafe tables. Patrick had been sitting at one of the tables reading a book when his drink was knocked over, spilling onto the table. He looked up and was struck dumb by how gorgeous the guy was, especially when he was embarrassed and spluttering out apologies. He sat there staring while the guy grabbed napkins to clean the coffee off the table.

_ “Are you okay? Did I get any on you?” the man asked, looking Patrick over. Patrick felt his cheeks heat, even at the clinical way the guy looked at him. _

_ “Yes. I mean no! Um.” Patrick shook himself. “Yes, I’m okay. I think the table took all the damage.” He finally managed to say. Their eyes met and Patrick froze. The guy was honestly the most attractive man he’d ever seen- dark brown eyes, strong jawline, and especially the grin lighting up his face. To say he was Patrick’s type was an understatement. Patrick wanted to wrap himself up in the guy’s soft-looking gray jacket, and those black jeans had his mouth watering. Patrick snapped back to attention when he realized he had been obviously checking the guy out while he just stood there smirking. _

_ “Let me replace your drink.” He offered, sounding amused. Normally, Patrick would politely refuse, but he agreed, hoping the guy would stick around afterward. He seemed pretty receptive to Patrick’s creepy staring, at least. His wish came true; the man came back with the fresh drink and sat down at the table, holding out a hand. _

_ “I’m Jonathan Toews, but you can call me Jonny.” He said with a smirk. Patrick shook his hand, taking note of how much larger Jonny’s hands were than his. _

_ “I’m Patrick Kane, but you can call me Patrick.” _

And the rest, as they say, is history. Jonny would admit later that he was too busy staring at Patrick to watch where he was going, which is what caused him to bump into the table. Sharpy loved that story, for some reason. Every time he heard it he would coo at them and sing-song ‘idiots in love.’

“Patrick, let’s  _ go _ .” he hears from the hallway, breaking him out of his thoughts. He finishes up with his shoes and heads to the front door. He doesn’t know what his face looks like, but it must be doing something soft because all three of them stare at him.

“Did you talk to Jonny?” Erica asks.

“No, why?” He asks, not so casually checking his phone for a response.

“That’s your Jonny face.” Jackie teases. “What were you doing?” Patrick shrugs.

“Just… remembering when we met.” He mumbles.

“Awww the coffee shop!” All three of them chorus.

“We’ve never been there. Maybe we should go today!” Erica demands and the other two nod. Patrick feels himself go red but he shakes his head.

“Guys, it’s always just been our spot, y’know? We’ve never taken anyone there.” It feels weird to say ‘we’ again when they’re still actually broken up, but he rolls with it. “Let’s just go shopping and maybe we can find a different coffee place.” That’s enough to get them moving towards the car, but Patrick loops back to the living room where his parents are. “Mom, I told Jonny we were going shopping, but I said he can come over here if he wants. Can you keep an eye out?”

“Of course! I’ll make him help me with dinner.” She laughs. Patrick, his dad, and the girls are all terrible in the kitchen so his mom was thrilled when Patrick started bringing Jonny around. He’s always loved cooking and probably could’ve been a professional chef if he had wanted to be. He grins and thanks her before running out to meet his impatient sisters.

***

“Why do you keep checking your phone?” Jackie asks, almost making Patrick drop his phone which he had  _ absolutely not  _ been checking for the 100th time this morning, with still no response.

“I, uh,” he clears his throat “sent Jonny a message earlier to let him know we were going out and he hasn’t responded.” Patrick rubs the back of his neck sheepishly. “It’s not a big deal, I just… I haven’t texted him since the breakup so I was at least hoping for a response.”

“Maybe he’s sleeping in?” She suggests. Patrick checks the time. Almost 10am.

“He could be.” He says to appease her, but he knows Jonny doesn’t normally sleep in past, like, 8. Or, he didn’t in all the time we were together. He shrugs. “Like I said, it’s not a big deal.”

“It’s a big deal if it means something to you, Pat.” She answers quietly. Patrick can’t help but feel like he deserves this a little bit. He ignored all of Jonny’s calls for weeks and deleted the voicemails and texts without opening them. Maybe he’s getting a taste of his own medicine.

“I’m sure I’ll hear from him soon.” He shrugs it off. “Or he’ll show up for lunch or something.”

***

He doesn’t show up for lunch. And he doesn’t text Patrick back. Patrick gets desperate enough to call Sharpy, opening up a can of worms that he would really rather leave closed for now.

“Does Jonny still have the same number?” He asks as soon as Sharpy answers the phone. He’s maybe not subtle but at this point he’s getting a little desperate.

“Yeah, Peeks, same number as always. May I ask why you’re suddenly interested in his phone number again?” Sharpy asks with a hint of mischief in his voice. “Last I remember, I was under penalty of death if I told him where you were moving to. You’d have thought I killed his puppy. Or, y’know, kept him away from his one true love.”

“Wait.” Patrick stopped. “He wanted to know where I was living?”

“Focus, Peeks. Why do you want his number?” Patrick takes a deep breath.

“My family’s in town and they ran into him and invited him over yesterday and he agreed and we talked last night and he said he would come over today but he hasn’t come over yet and I texted him but he didn’t answer me.” Patrick rushes out. “So I just wanted to make sure he didn’t change his number or anything.” There’s silence on the other end of the line and Patrick wonders if Sharpy hung up on him. That is, until he hears Sharpy start laughing. Patrick waits patiently, but when he realizes Sharpy isn’t going to stop he hangs up only to receive a text a moment later.

_ Im sorry kaner but thats hilarious. Good luck. U deserve each other _

Patrick rolls his eyes and picks up his phone. He sends Jonny another text- just a single question mark- and then grabs the shopping bag he had tucked away while the girls weren’t looking. He had bought a couple things for his family, but he had gotten something for Jonny, too. He’s sure his family bought gifts for Jonny, but Patrick wanted to get him something just in case so he didn’t feel left out while they open presents tomorrow. It’s something simple- a chain necklace with a little hockey stick charm. Jonny loves hockey, even though he can only play in the rec league a couple times a month. He maybe would’ve gone pro if it hadn’t been for his knee injury in juniors, but Patrick’s selfishly grateful that he didn’t. He doubts they ever would have met if Jonny had gone pro. He sets the box on his nightstand and goes to join his family.

***

Jonny doesn’t show up for dinner either, and by now Patrick’s realizing what’s actually been happening. Jonny kept in touch with his sisters to make sure Patrick wasn’t living on the streets or something because, like Patrick suspected before, Jonny cares about him but doesn’t love him. His sisters interpreted his interest as him still being in love with Patrick. Simple enough mistake for the girls who just want him to be happy- they saw what they wanted to see. Same thing with Sharpy probably- once Jonny knew Patrick was safe he let it go. Jonny went home for Canadian Thanksgiving and maybe didn’t have enough time off left at work to fly back home for Christmas so he stayed in Chicago. His family runs into Jonny and they assume it’s fate so they invite Jonny over. Jonny’s Canadian politeness and fondness for Patrick’s family takes over and he agrees. They make it through dinner with minimal awkwardness, and then Jonny tries to make an early escape, which Patrick intercepted. He must’ve looked pathetic, following Jonny to his car and asking him to come back. Patrick suddenly realizes that Jonny never actually agreed to come back. He had assured Patrick he wanted to be there but he hadn’t actually agreed to come back. All he had said was “see you”. He had no intention of coming back. It all makes sense, really, and Patrick feels tears pricking at his eyes.

“Pat, are you okay?” His mom asks, concerned. It sucks that he’s having this epiphany at the dinner table with his whole family staring at him. He realizes he stopped with his fork halfway to his mouth. He sets it down and nods, trying for a smile that he knows doesn’t quite hit the mark.

“Yeah, just… y’know.” He shrugs.

“Maybe something came up.” His dad suggests. “A work emergency or a family emergency or something.”

“He could’ve at least sent a text.” Jessica hisses. “He knows this was a big deal.” No one has anything else to say to that and the conversation moves on around him while he keeps picking at his food. It would probably be funny to him how quickly his family turned on Jonny if it wasn’t so sad. He should’ve known better than to let Jonny in so easy. He was caught up in his feelings; feelings he should have dealt with a long time ago. Jessica was right about needing closure, but Patrick was so focused on the other part- the getting back together part- that he didn’t even consider this as being a closing door on their relationship. He forgot that Jonny didn’t want him, and all that got him was another broken heart. He quickly stood up, startling everyone, and excused himself from the table before he really broke. He just needed a second to compose himself.

Yet again, Erica followed him to his bedroom.

“Erica, please, I just need a second alone.” He begged, keeping his back to her. She saw right through him and immediately pulled him into a hug. He didn’t try to resist, just broke and started sobbing onto her shoulder. His family was too good for him and he really, really didn’t deserve them. They flew out to Chicago for him and he ended up ruining Christmas Eve by crying about something that he should’ve moved on from weeks ago.

“I’m so sorry we did this to you.” She apologizes, patting his head. “We shouldn’t have ambushed you like that and forced you both into a situation you weren’t ready for.”

“It’s not your fault.” He tries to say through his tears. She shushes him.

“I don’t know what’s going on, Pat. I really don’t. We all thought for sure he wanted to work it out.” She continues. “We never would have done it if we didn’t think it would be good for you.” He nods in understanding before pulling away.

“I know he cares about me.” Patrick starts, then has to pause to compose himself again. “We were together for two years. I know he cares. And I love-” another pause. “I love him so much. He’s the most amazing man I’ve ever met. But he doesn’t love me. Not anymore, at least.”

“What makes you say that?” She asks quietly.

“We had fights. Everyone does, and ours usually ended okay. We made it a rule to never sleep in separate beds, even if we were mad at each other. But that last fight? The one that ended it? He just- kicked me out. Like it was nothing. Like it was something he had been thinking about. He told me to leave and not bother coming back.” Patrick wipes away more tears. He had never told his family what had ended their relationship and they had never pried, but now he wishes he had opened up. Maybe this situation could have been avoided. “I don’t know what happened. One day we were great, and the next it was over.”

“I’m sorry. I had no idea.” She apologizes again. Patrick waves it off.

“Him being here made me hopeful, I think. Just seeing him again made me remember how much I love him. I had locked it away and refused to deal with it and then suddenly it was there and I was seeing everything through rose colored goggles. When we were talking before he left, I said something about thinking he had moved on and me pushing him away and he told me that we could talk about it later. I guess it was more of a brush-off than I realized.” Patrick sucks in a sharp breath and looks at Erica, more tears springing up. “Maybe he  _ was _ going to tell me he moved on. Maybe he’s spending Christmas in town because he met someone else.” The thought sent a sharp pain through his chest.

“Patrick, I  _ really  _ don’t think that’s it. I still think there’s more going on here than what we’re seeing. The way he looks at you-” she cuts herself off. “I’m not gonna say anything else because I’ve already done enough damage. But just sleep on it, ok? You’ll feel better in the morning and maybe we’ll be able to see some perspectives we’re not seeing right now.”

“That’s a good idea.” He agrees, his bed already calling to him. “Will you apologize to everyone for me?” He asks. She gives him a funny look.

“I didn’t mean that you should go to sleep right now.”

“I’m tired.” he shrugs, feeling guilty about not spending time with them but knowing he needed some rest. “And I don’t think I’m going to be very much fun right now.”

“You’re never any fun, Pat.” She teases and runs out of the room laughing when he throws a pillow at her. Patrick changes into his pajamas and lays down, staring at the ceiling. He’s so confused. He  _ knows _ Jonny. He dated him for almost two years and knew him for almost 6 months before that. Jonny can be a jerk sometimes, but he’s never been cruel. Patrick just can’t understand why he would show up and get Patrick’s hopes up and then just completely ghost him. The longer he thinks about it the angrier he gets. How  _ dare  _ he do this, not only to Patrick, but Patrick's family? And on the holiday he  _ knows _ is Patrick’s favorite? He must doze off at some point, because when he wakes up, it’s just after midnight, and he has only one thought on his mind.

He has to call Jonny.


	3. December 25

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow this took way longer to post than it should have. I may or may not have binge watched all 3 season of 9-1-1 this week and that may or may not have something to do with it.

Patrick doesn’t even pause to think about it, throwing himself out of bed and grabbing his phone. He listens at the door but doesn’t hear any noise from the rest of the house so he assumes his family is asleep. He would rather they not overhear this. He closes and locks his bedroom door and pulls up Jonny’s number, not letting himself hesitate before he presses the call button. He needs to get some things off his chest and if Jonny isn’t gonna show up to deal with it, Patrick’s going to yell at him over the phone. It rings long enough for Patrick to worry it’s going to go to voicemail, but finally Jonny picks up.

“Patrick?” Jonny’s voice sounds frantic. “What’s wrong? Are you ok? Is someone hurt?”

“Shut up and listen to me, Jonathan.” He knows that'll get Jonny’s attention. Patrick never calls him Jonathan unless he’s really angry. “I don’t know what kind of stunt you were trying to pull, but fuck you. You just show up at my house and play happy family and let me get my hopes up, and for what? Just to mess with me? That's cruel, Jonny, and you know it."

"Pat-" Jonny starts.

"No. Listen to me. I don't know what happened to us. I don't know why you don't want me anymore or what I did to make you push me away. If I did something wrong, then I'm sorry. I'm sorry I couldn't be good enough for you." Jonny makes a broken sound and tries to say something, but Patrick keeps talking over him. "And even if I did something to make you think I deserve this, my family doesn’t. My family loves you, Jonny! So much that they brought you back here after you broke my heart, and you got their hopes up, too." Patrick lets out a hysterical giggle. "You know, after we started dating, I never thought I would have to know what it was like to live without you again. I knew you were it for me and the past couple months have been some of the hardest of my life." Patrick realizes he's crying when his voice breaks, but he knows if he stops now, he'll never be able to get this out. "And it just really sucks that you came to my home and had dinner with my family and held me like you loved me and then just left me."

"I'm coming over." Jonny breaks in immediately, sounding wrecked.

"No." Patrick barks. "I don't have anything else to say to you. Have a nice life." And then he hangs up the phone. He curls up on his bed and cries, not feeling the relief he thought he would after getting that off his chest. If anything, he feels more miserable than he did before. If this is closure, Patrick would much rather live in denial. His phone starts buzzing in his hand and Jonny's name flashes across his screen. He watches it ring and ring and ring until the screen goes dark. A few seconds later, it lights up again. Patrick knows from experience that if he doesn't answer Jonny will give up eventually. The process continues for about 15 more minutes more until a text flashes across the screen.

I'm outside. Open the door.

No. is all he sends back. He thinks he should be more surprised that Jonny showed up, but he’s really not.

Patrick, open the door or I'll start ringing the doorbell and wake up your entire family.

Patrick debates for a second. He knows that’s not an empty threat and if this is going to happen, he doesn't want an audience. He sighs makes his way to the front door, unlocking it and opening it just enough to see Jonny's face.

"I'm getting really tired of you not answering my phone calls." Is the first thing out of Jonny's mouth. Patrick goes to slam the door in his face, but Jonny sees it coming and catches the door, pushing his way inside past Patrick. Patrick closes his eyes and takes a deep breath, closing and locking the front door, before heading back towards his bedroom. Jonny sheds his coat and follows without a word. Patrick throws himself down on the side of his bed and buries his head in his hands, regretting that he had initiated this confrontation. He expected a response from Jonny, but he didn’t expect him to rush over here in the middle of the night. He feels the bed dip next to him and Jonny's knee presses against his own.

"I'm tired, Jonny. I know I'm the one that started this but I really don't want to do this right now."

"I've been an asshole." Jonny starts, and Patrick snorts his agreement. "I've missed you." He tries again, softer. Patrick barks out a laugh and looks at Jonny, who turns on the bed so he's facing Patrick head-on.

"Oh yeah? I didn't really get that vibe when I didn't hear from you for months." He shot back. "You were the one that told me not to come back. You knew where I was, if you wanted to talk to me you were the one that was going to have to initiate it."

"I didn't think you wanted me to." Jonny argues gently. "You left so quickly that I didn’t have time to take back what I said. You ignored my calls then I come home one day and find all your stuff gone and your key in the box and I didn’t know what to do. I've regretted what I said every moment of every single day. I don't know why I said it, Pat, because I definitely didn't mean it."

"Then why didn't you come get me?" Patrick shouts before he remembers his family is just down the hall. “I waited for you.” he adds, quieter. Jonny takes one of his hands and holds it tight.

"You wouldn't answer my calls." He says lowly. "I knew you were upset and hurt but I thought if I kept trying you would answer, and then we could talk about what was going on. I didn’t want to just show up and make you feel like I was crowding you. But you never answered and then Sharpy told me you were getting your own place. I guess I thought when you were still living with him that meant you would come back. And then I lost hope." Patrick suddenly regrets not listening to any of the voicemails or reading any of the messages. Maybe things would have turned out differently. Sure, Jonny was an idiot, but maybe Patrick was, too.

"I thought you didn’t want me." he replies meekly. Jonny squeezes his hand tighter and opens his mouth to say something when there’s a knock on Patrick's bedroom door.

"Pat? Are you ok? I heard you yelling." Jackie's voice comes through the door. Patrick looks at Jonny wide-eyed and Jonny just shrugs, leaving it up to him to figure out how to handle this. He knows Jackie won't listen if he tells her to go away, so he bites the bullet and stands up, heading towards the door. He shoots another look at Jonny before he throws the door open. He sees Jackie taking in his appearance, probably noting his puffy eyes and possibly some left over tears, before she looks over his shoulder and into the room. Her jaw drops when she sees Jonny on the bed. "Pat, should I call 911? Have him trespassed?"

"No, Jacks, everything's fine. We're just talking." She looks at him skeptically and then goes back to glaring at Jonny.

"But you were yelling. And he's a dickhead." She shoots back. Patrick can't help but laugh. Jackie's always been Jonny's #1 fan from the moment Patrick brought him home, to the point where Patrick sometimes wondered if Jackie didn't have a little bit of a crush on him. He knows that she was the one advocating the hardest for them to get back together, so he pulls her into a hug, glad to know that she's got his back in this.

“Go back to bed, ok?” He pleads with her. “We’ll talk tomorrow.” She gives him one last skeptical side-eye before she nods.

“Ok, but if you want him out, just yell.” She demands. He smiles at her and watches her walk down the hall before closing the door again. He turns back to Jonny, still sitting on the bed and looking at Patrick, and braces himself.

“Why didn’t you come over today?” Patrick doesn’t move away from the door. “Maybe everything that happened before can be counted as bad communication, but I explicitly asked you to come back and you didn’t. You made me think that you wanted to be here and I was so excited to spend the day with you and you didn’t show up. You didn’t even answer my messages.”

“I’m sorry.” Jonny sighs. “I was being a coward.”

“What do you mean?”

“I guess I was afraid of hurting you. Or of being hurt.” Jonny stands and walks a little closer, still leaving a couple feet of space between them. “Like I said yesterday, I thought having your family around would be a good buffer, but after I got home and really thought about it, I worried that maybe they were forcing you into talking to me. I know you love them and value their opinions so I convinced myself that you were only doing this to make your family happy. I got your messages and I chose not to answer them. My only excuse is that I was scared of getting my hopes up and then losing you again. Which is exactly what I put you through.”

They stare at each other in silence for a few minutes. Patrick’s trying to process this, trying to make it fit into his view of the situation. He gets what Jonny’s saying and it really isn’t out of the realm of possibility. He would do anything for his family. Would he date someone he doesn’t like to make them happy? He honestly doesn’t know, but he doesn’t think he’ll ever have to find out; his family wouldn’t force him to do something like that. They wanted him to get back together with Jonny because they know Patrick loves him. And he can see why Jonny would think that Patrick wouldn’t want to be with him. He maybe should have thought about that all along but it’s easy to forget the other person’s perspective when they hurt you. He’s startled out of his thoughts when Jonny starts to slowly close the distance between them, until they’re only a couple inches apart. He reaches out for Patrick slowly, like he’s waiting for Patrick to stop him. Patrick doesn’t, curious about where he’s going with this. He’s surprised when Jonny’s hand goes around to his back and starts stroking up and down slowly.

“You know you’re wearing my shirt?” Jonny asks lowly. Patrick looks down and, sure enough, he’s wearing one of Jonny’s old hockey t-shirts, one that has Toews 19 on the back. Patrick had been sleeping in it for months and hadn’t really ever thought about it. He feels himself flush, embarrassed, but Jonny hums approvingly and uses his other hand to tilt Patrick’s face up. “You said that I’m it for you. That you didn’t want to know what life was like without me. Patrick, you’re it for me, too. I know we still need to talk about everything, but I want to try again. Start over. If that’s what you want, too.” Patrick feels like his heart is about to beat out of his chest. He really never thought he would get to have this again, and here Jonny is, telling him he wants him.

“Yes. Please.” He manages to choke out. He sees Jonny start to smile at him and can’t help himself. He reaches up and holds Jonny’s face, pulling him down into a kiss. It’s chaste, neither one of them trying to deepen it, but something inside Patrick settles at the familiarity of it, especially when Jonny’s other hand slips around Patrick’s back. He feels Jonny tracing out the Toews over his shoulder blades and has to pull back to laugh. “You possessive weirdo.” he giggles.

“You’ve always looked good with my last name, babe.” Jonny teases, winking at him.

“Shut up, you know we would hyphenate.” Patrick argues back. He would be lying if he said he didn’t like seeing the Toews stamped across his back, but the few times he’s seen Jonny with Kane across his, it made him feel things. So, a compromise.

“Yeah, we would.” Jonny agrees. They stand there smiling at each other for a little while longer until Patrick can’t hold back a yawn. A glance at the clock tells him it’s almost 1:30 in the morning and he groans.

“It’s way past my bedtime.” He groans, stretching and pushing a hand obnoxiously against Jonny’s face. Jonny huffs at him and bats it away, taking a few steps back. He suddenly looks unsure and shifts on his feet, eyeing the door. Before he can say anything, Patrick throws himself on the bed and looks at him. “You coming?” Jonny’s smile is like sunshine.

***

Patrick wakes up way cozier than he has any right to be. He’s dimly aware that it’s Christmas morning and that he woke up with a smile on his face. And then he realizes that there’s an arm thrown across him, a line of heat against his back, and someone breathing heavily across the back of his neck. He squirms uncomfortably for a minute before he manages to turn over to face Jonny, whose face is still peaceful with sleep. Not for long. Patrick reaches up and pinches Jonny’s nose closed, grinning when Jonny pulls away with a grunt. He opens his eyes, disgruntled, and glares at Patrick who smiles sunnily up at him.

“Merry Christmas, Jonathan.” He chirps happily. Jonny’s face softens and he reaches up to run a hand through Patrick’s hair.

“Merry Christmas, Patrick.” he responds quietly. Patrick suddenly throws the blankets off of them and rolls out of bed, startling Jonny into sitting up as well. Patrick glances at the clock and notices it’s already almost 10AM.

“Get up! We may have already missed breakfast.” Patrick commands. His mom always makes a veritable feast on Christmas morning and Patrick isn’t going to let anything get in the way of him and that plate of food. He’s digging in his dresser drawers, looking for a shirt Jonny can wear that won’t be too small on him, when he suddenly freezes. Jackie knows Jonny’s here, but he doesn’t know if she said anything to the rest of his family, or even if she knows Jonny spent the night. “So I should probably go out there first and make sure they know you’re here and they shouldn’t kill you.” Patrick says, finally pulling one of Jonny’s old shirts from the bottom of his drawer and taking it over to him.

“Sounds good. I would prefer not to be killed.” Jonny teases, but Patrick can tell he’s nervous. “I should probably call my family and wish them Merry Christmas. Come get me when it’s safe.” Patrick agrees, and leans down for a quick kiss.

“It’s gonna be fine.” He assures Jonny. “They still love you, they were just upset yesterday because I was upset.” Jonny’s face falls and he moves to sit on the edge of the bed, pulling Patrick between his legs. He looks up at Patrick apologetically while Patrick runs his fingers through Jonny’s short hair.

“I’m sorry that I hurt you.” Jonny says sadly. Patrick smiles down at him.

“I hurt you, too, Jon.” Patrick responds. “And I’m sorry, too. But it’s Christmas. Today lets just be together and we can work all of the rest of it out later.” Jonny nods.

“You’re right.” He agrees. Patrick starts to pull away, but Jonny stops him and waits until he has Patrick’s full attention. “I love you.” he says, so much conviction in his voice that it would be impossible not to believe him. Patrick feels himself start to tear up and wills himself not to cry. He never thought he’d hear those words from Jonny again.

“I love you.” He responds, leaning down to kiss Jonny one more time before pulling away completely. “Now, time to face the music.”

He walks into the kitchen to see his mom still finishing up breakfast and everyone else dishing up plates. He notices there’s an extra plate sitting on the counter. So, Jackie has spilled the beans. They notice him one at a time, each of them pausing to stare at him expectantly and throw glances behind him, probably looking for Jonny. He stands there stone-faced and they look back equally blank.

“I just wanted to make sure you weren’t going to kill him before I brought him out here.” He explains, finally letting the smile overtake his face. He sees them all relax at the same time.

“We thought that was his car up front but we weren’t sure.” Erica explains. “Jackie said he was here last night but we didn’t know what happened and we didn’t want to just burst into your room.”

“I called him last night to yell at him.” Patrick explains. “And then I hung up on him so he came over here to talk to me face to face. I think… I think we’re gonna be okay.” They all look so relieved that he laughs, and they all start talking over each other, saying how happy they are for him and how much they love him, before demanding he go get Jonny so they can start breakfast.

When he walks into the bedroom, Jonny’s still on the phone speaking French with his mother. Patrick gives him the thumbs up and Jonny unsuccessfully tries to wrap up the conversation with his mom. Finally he rolls his eyes and holds the phone out.

“She wants to talk to you.” He grumbles. Patrick’s eyes widen and he shakes his head frantically. “Patrick she won’t hang up until she talks to you. We have to get it over with eventually.” Patrick throws his head back and sighs, but takes the phone from Jonny.

“Hi Andrée.” He greets hesitantly.

“Patrick! It is so good to hear from you!” She chirps back. “Jonathan has been so miserable without you and I kept telling that stubborn boy to just go to you but he wouldn’t listen. I’m so glad he is with you and your family today. Take care of him, yes?”

“Of course.” He agrees, overwhelmed. He didn’t expect such an enthusiastic greeting.

“Good. Please tell your family I said hello. I love you both. Merry Christmas, Patrick.”

“Merry Christmas.” He manages to say before she hangs up. He looks at Jonny, startled.

“What did she say?” He asks.

“She said to tell my family hello and that she loves us both and she’s glad you’re here today. And she called you stubborn for not coming back to me sooner.” Jonny laughs.

“Maman called me much worse things than stubborn. She may have encouraged me not to come home for Christmas in hopes that I would find you instead.” Jonny admits. Patrick laughs out loud and pulls Jonny into a hug.

“Our families were conspiring against us.” He jokes.

“I don’t know, I think it worked out in our favor.” Jonny argues. Patrick pulls back and catches sight of the jewelry box sitting on his nightstand. He had completely forgotten about the gift he had gotten for Jonny.

“Can I give you your gift now?” He asks excitedly. He knows his family is waiting on them, but this is important.

“You got me a gift?” Jonny’s pleasantly surprised. Patrick just grins at him and rushes over to grab the box.

“It’s not much and I didn’t wrap it or anything, but I saw it yesterday and I thought of you.” Jonny takes the box from him and opens it. When he sees the hockey necklace he grins at Patrick and pulls it out of the box.

“It’s perfect, Pat. I love it.” Jonny says softly. He immediately puts it on, and pulls Patrick close. “I didn’t get you anything.” He says guiltily.

“You’re here, Jonny. That’s all I need.” Patrick says, then makes a face. “Wow, that was probably the sappiest thing I’ve ever said.”

“I’ll just have to make it up to you next Christmas, eh?” Patrick’s breath catches and he loops his arms around Jonny’s neck.

“Don’t get too carried away.” He warns, seeing a flash of hurt in Jonny’s eyes before he continues. “You have the rest of our lives to make it up to me.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm considering adding a chapter from Jonny's POV so if anyone is interested let me know.  
> I also may make this part of a collection and write little ficlets about their first meeting, first day, breakup, etc.

**Author's Note:**

> Find me on tumblr:  
> [kkane88](https://kkane88.tumblr.com/)  
> [kwriteshockey](https://kwriteshockey.tumblr.com//)


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